Forgotten Hero
by WaterLily95
Summary: "What honor is there in death, Lu Ten?" Zuko said, his eyes softening. "Nobody talks about you. Nobody sees you as a hero. You're just a dead prince." ONESHOT


**_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

**Forgotten Hero**

Zuko was never a fan of death- a rhetorical way to put an obvious fact. Even though his blood was boiling and his frustration was masked with great difficulty at the present moment, and even though he was used to seeing every soldier fall to his doom one moment or another, he simply admitted the fact to himself fearlessly.

It wasn't something one should contemplate too much on. As much an enemy the Avatar was to him, Zuko never expected himself to kill the guy at any moment, much less accept the fact that he was dead. He was even starting to have second thoughts on sending that three-eyed guy after him. As hateful as he was regarding Zhao much earlier in the year, the admiral who constantly taunted him to be a traitor and kept stealing his attempts to capture the Avatar, he hadn't thought of defeating him through death. Even considering his manipulative sister, whose cold-blooded arrogance he wanted so badly to wane, he didn't meddle with her existence.

But when it came to his own cousin, he was just… confused. Lu Ten: the most odd mystery in his life. The most revered yet foreign person in his entire family tree of former princes. The one hero no one in the family ever speaks of except for his uncle.

Although within his own palace, he made sure no one was attentive to any particular guy with a familiar-looking scar on his eye. He took swift footsteps towards a lone corridor one rarely passed through, breathing steadily in contrast to his wildly fluctuating heartbeat. He warmed his hands constantly, which permeated a small flame. When he reached a particular space on the right wall of the corridor, he spiraled his fist into a secretive opening and sent a pungent flicker of the flame lighting up the intricate lock. Within moments a pathway was made, and the "honorary prince" swept his way in.

The room was warm and poignant with a crimson hue, so much that his heartbeat drowned itself in its warmth. But that wasn't as alluring and captivating as a sole portrait beckoning his attention. The prince took a deep breath before taking a few steps forward to a small table beneath the portrait. He knelt cautiously before it, not imagining himself to go on with what he thought was going to be foolish of him. Incense had already been offered, and the waft of its smoky trance gently shut his eyes to a close.

"You're a stranger to me, Lu Ten."

He tried his best not to lose himself and subject his strangely calmed nerves to bolts of frustration again.

"You're honorable. Noble. Worthy of reverence. You're a military hero."

He paused.

"But you're not…here…"

An equally passionate pair of lifeless golden eyes welcomed him. Was he really to expect a reaction from a portrait?

"I wonder if you ever made mistakes in your life. You know, make one wrong move and Uncle could've punished you forever. Make a single step in the right direction and people parade all over you."

He sighed. "You don't have a sister like Azula. You never saw your mother leave you. You didn't have to worry about the Avatar…I wonder if you ever had to choose between struggles of power."

The prince banged his clenched fist onto the table, causing the incense holder to waver. The rage in his heart was more than what he was able to control.

"My father is so proud of me. He thinks I killed the Avatar. But I don't think I did. I know Azula has to be plotting something. Why would she want to make me look good in front of Father? I'm trying to end the Avatar's life but even this I can't see myself doing. Sozin's life tells me nothing." He glared angrily at the serene portrait. "And your father won't even help me find my way! What pride does he have in just sitting there, rotting in prison and watching me suffer inside out? What happiness is there in being ridiculed by the same people who revered him before? I thought he was supposed to help me."

The glow of the incense lit up the portrait's eyes, as if Lu Ten's eyes were on fire. But his smile was an equally astonishing contrast.

"I never knew what's with you and Uncle," Zuko said, narrowing his eyes. "You're so simple and yet so powerful. So close to success but yet so far. You could've been in my place if you were alive. You could've saved yourself by stopping with one Earth Kingdom city instead of going on and losing your life. Uncle could've been the Fire Lord if it wasn't for his failure at Ba Sing Se and his hankering after helping the Avatar. I didn't even have to _be_ in this mess."

The boy seemed far more like a stranger to Zuko than even his own enemies. So much to the extent that the soldier boy's death caused the prince more pity and contemplation than agony. More of an incredulous consideration than pain. It was understandable that he was his uncle's son, but even the thought of the man who should've been helping him right now didn't soften his harsh chiding of the deceased hero.

"What honor is there in death, Lu Ten?" Zuko said, his eyes softening. "Nobody talks about you. Nobody sees you as a hero. You're just a dead prince. Wouldn't you hate that? What am I saying? Of _course _you wouldn't. You're just like Uncle. You find joy in failure."

He scoffed. "What do you think I should do? Give up everything? Tell my father the truth and get myself degraded? One truth is all it takes to send someone into humiliation?"

The room was blazing with internal fire more than any mere physical flame. Zuko had had enough. He sent the room bursting into a haven of fire, grunting angrily. Nothing but flame everywhere. But Lu Ten's portrait remained untouched.

It was then that Zuko experienced a revelation. An epiphany that struck him more than ever. And the more he thought about that epiphany, he felt his eyes squinting in agony and twisted feelings. He shut his eyes to a close and felt the flames intensify around him. He pictured the once-powerful face of Fire Lord Sozin melting before his eyes. Lu Ten's portrait prevailed before him until there was nothing but the imagery of a battlefield. And there was the soldier boy, lying stiff and lifeless. It wasn't so much honor that he should be worried about compared to what destiny had in store. Imagining the grave face of his cousin wasn't much of a help as it was a devastating site, but it was more of the realization that honor didn't matter with destiny as the controller.

Zuko opened his eyes, dropping to his knees and throwing aside his royal cloak. He shuddered slightly. "I know what I'm going to do." He glanced back at the portrait. "And I'll need your help."


End file.
